The present invention relates to an exhaust processor, and particularly to an apparatus for processing combustion product generated by a vehicle engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an exhaust processor that operates as a spark arrester and a sound attenuator.
Spark arresters are designed to prevent sparks or hot, unburned carbon particles generated by the process of combustion in an engine of a vehicle from being discharged from the vehicle. (For purposes of this specification including the claims, xe2x80x9cunburnedxe2x80x9d means not completely burned so that partially burned is included within the meaning ofxe2x80x9cunburned.xe2x80x9d) Such carbon particles could possibly ignite when exposed to a sufficient amount of oxygen typically available in the surrounding atmosphere, thereby risking ignition of other substances which may contact the carbon particles. Off-road vehicles, such all-terrain vehicles, are especially sensitive to this risk and typically employ some type of spark arrester to minimize the possibility of causing unintended fires in their wake.
According to the present disclosure, an exhaust processor on board a vehicle includes a housing formed to include an interior region, a partition or first spark arrester, and a second spark arrester. The partition is positioned to partition the interior region into chambers and includes a pair of plates that form a space therebetween and a wool filter positioned to lie in the space between the pair of plates and formed to include an opening. The wool filter is positioned to filter unburned carbon particles from combustion product generated by an engine of the vehicle.
The second spark arrester includes an outer conduit that extends through the opening formed in the wool filter and is formed to include a first passage and an outlet. The second spark arrester further includes an inner conduit that extends into the first passage and is formed to include a second passage and an opening. Unburned carbon particles entrained in combustion product flow from the second passage through the opening formed in the inner conduit to impinge against the outer conduit to minimize the potential that the unburned carbon particles will ignite when they are discharged from the vehicle. The outer conduit is arranged to dispense combustion product through its outlet into one of the chambers without introducing combustion product directly from the first passage into the space between the first and second plates.
In preferred embodiments, the exhaust processor further includes a silencer that attenuates sound energy generated by the combustion process in the vehicle engine. The silencer is coupled to a side wall of the housing and defines an axis that is generally perpendicular to an axis defined by the inner conduit.
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.